All the Beirut news.

Okay, since we are now in agreement that Lebanon is blessed with great attributes and glorious aspects, let's put that aside and take a closer look at what is rotting.

Let us fast forward past our clearly diagnosed diseases such as racism, discrimination against foreign workers and abuse against women. Let's look past the mass migration of young graduates and a report, a couple of years ago, that 50% of Lebanese youth do drugs.

Let us just look, for now, at these statistics, compiled during the past months of this year (2008). The numbers show, when compared to the previous years, that:

• murder is on the rise by 58%. This percentage excludes those killed during May clashes. Motives include theft, family quarrels and rape.
• suicide indicates an increase of 116% with motives such as despair over illness, emotional or financial problems.
• divorce has increased by 44% with seventy percent of these being marriages that have taken place during the past 5 years. This increase is parallel to a decrease in the number of marriage contracts..
• theft, especially theft of cars, has increased by 27%.

Now add to these numbers like:

• 54% of the Lebanese do not benefit from health insurance and rely of the Ministry of Health to cover health care expenses.
• 26% of Lebanese families do not own a house.
• 43% of Lebanese families do not own means of transportation at a time when public transportation is practically non existent.
• 90% of our waste water goes into the Mediterranean sea and leak into underground water.
• the joke of the hours of electricity supply per day

Also add to these: the numbers of registered mentally ill or physically challenged as a result of the conflicts, the millions of square meters of land that are inaccessible because of the land mines planted by the waring factions etc etc etc.

What's worse is that the same stinking shit-heads who are supposed to be held accountable and guilty for this mess, keep marketing themselves and their children as the saviors of the wretched Lebanese and they keep winning back their positions as leaders. What's worse is that they proudly announce that they are preparing their grandchildren to inherit their legacy. Now that's a favor that deserves gratitude.

But the worst stench comes from the people who accept, with complete submission, that they are blessed and honored to be accepted as faithful followers and believers.